“When you start censoring the books and censoring the video games and censoring the TV and the movies, you’re still going to have these situations.”
– Rapper, Ice Cube, establishing the fact that sometime, just sometimes, your run of mill murder or rapist does not necessarily need inspiration from music as motivation to act like a complete psycho.
You would assume that most CDs are not branded with a ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker, but are we actually aware of quite how many CDs and music videos contain profanity, nudity and other joyous, not so conservative forms of expression?…
– Taken from Facts About Media Violence and Effects on the American Family www.echeat.com/essay.php?t=27026
– Taken from Youth and Violent Music
A Clockwork Orange, Reservoir Dogs, Natural Born Killers, Texas Chainsaw Massacre and the more recent Saw and Hostel movies. All the mentioned films have brought joy to the less squeamish of us who enjoy watching human dissections via a chainsaw or are partial to slicing off an ear every now and then. Violence in films and on television has always been a controversial subject that has caused worry and in many cases uproar throughout the years, leading to banning and age restrictions. But music seems to be a while other issue. It wasn’t until 1990 that the Recording Industry Association of America voluntarily implemented the now so often seen ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker. And surprise, surprise, it was and still is rap and rock music that was more often targeted. So all eager ten-year-old Dr Dre or Marilyn Manson fans suddenly found that they would have to wait eight agonizing years before being able to purchase their very own copy of whichever violent and uncouth album they had there eye on. In the mean time, they would have to settle for listening to some baby-faced boy-band croon about their undying lover for the hot cheerleader who defied all odds by actually having a personality customary for normal human beings. What an inspirational topic.
The ‘Parental Advisory’ sticker was introduced by Tipper Gore, the wife of Al Gore. What on earth possessed her to get her rich self involved in all this business? Well, one fine sunny day, whilst Mrs Gore was probably enjoying being rich and American, she discovered that the Prince album she had bought for her 12-year-old daughter contained references to masturbation. Shock, horror! So, it was Prince talking about bashing his bishop that encouraged Mrs Gore to establish the Parents’ Music Resource Centre. Of course there were objections, with artists like Frank Zappa, John Denver and many more, expressing outrage. Their objections however meant very little – the music industry gave in to the political pressure and so we were introduced to ‘Tipper Stickers’.
But things don’t always go exactly as planned. Yes the stickers enforced and yes minors were unable to buy the ‘notorious’ albums unless they were in the record store of some weed smoking, free loving, hippy, liberal. However, this, as with any other act of banning or censorship worked to create more hype around certain albums and artists. Kids want exactly what they can’t or shouldn’t have. I’m sure I would have taken must less notice to Eminem’s earlier albums had I not known that they were full of homophobic, misogynistic and psychotic lyrics. Despite being nowhere near old enough to purchase the albums, we would find other ways of getting our hands on them. And in our own 11-year-old way we felt like grade A rebels. And so began our admiration for artists like Eminem and the “evil, evil” albums they produced.
I was 13 when I first heard my mum shouting, “It’s all this I vill shoot you, I vill kill you, bitch, shit music that is making you act like this!” I could have responded using the oh so subtle Eminem lyric, “Bitch I’ma kill you, you don’t wanna fuck wit me”, but of course and luckily, common sense prevailed and I mumbled a quiet “Whatever”.
And on that note, welcome to Musical Violence. Here I will be exploring whether music somehow encourages or promotes violence, whether the behaviour of a person can be affected by what genre or artist they happen to be listening to. Time and time again, you get people blaming certain crimes on particular genres of music. Are these people right, or they simply overlooking the ability of human beings to think and act for themselves?
I am not on a one woman crusade to discover or convince anyone that, ‘Yes, damn right music can cause violence!’, or ‘No, that’s ridiculous, people can think for themselves!’ I am simply looking into a subject which I am interested in. Hopefully you’ll find it even mildly interesting and give it the odd look at from time to time.
Anyhow, look out for posts and enjoy.
Musical Violence 